Flexible artificial nail

ABSTRACT

Provided is a flexible artificial nail. In the flexible artificial nail, a top surface of the plate shape is a designing surface, and a bottom surface of the plate shape is an adhesive surface against the natural nail; an auxiliary designing portion in a smooth shape is formed; an elastic portion is formed in the auxiliary designing portion, and an adhesive agent is coated on the adhesive surface including an area of the elastic portion, or a double sided adhesive sheet is bonded on the adhesive surface except the auxiliary designing portion, the first and second grooving portion for being adhered to the natural nail.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a flexible artificial nail, in particular to a flexible artificial nail to maintain a stable adhered condition in a whole corresponding to a surface shape of a natural nail when adhering the artificial nail made of a polymer material on the surface of the natural nail.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, the use of a nail art becomes an increasing trend widely as an image means for displaying a beauty or clean image of a woman, as a means for expressing an etiquette or as a means of the like. The nail art is used mainly by teenager or twenties, and recently the using ages becomes expanding step by step. As a result, the range of the nail art market is in a rising state. The nail art may be made in a way that a nail base (a natural nail of a human) is decorated with a manicure or the like, the nail base is trimmed to bond various accessories, or a flat stuff of a polymer or a metal film is adhered on the nail base. An artificial nail made in a thin flat shape may be adhered on the nail base of the human as follows. Various artificial nails may be manufactured considering a general nail shape (in different sizes or shapes depending on different fingers). A surface of the nail base may be polished uniformly to coat a primer for adhering the artificial nail on an upper surface of the nail base. And then, an adhesive material may be applied on the primer or under the artificial nail to be bonded with the nail base and the artificial nail folded. The artificial nail may be bonded on the nail base in various ways, for example a double sided adhesive sheet may be used for bonding the artificial nail on the nail base. The artificial nail in a known art is manufactured in a predetermined size and shape based on a plurality of nails of women. But each nail of a woman doesn't have an identical surface shape. Hence, the surface of the nail may be cut excessively or some auxiliary stuff has to be added for using the artificial nail. If the surface of the nail is cut excessively, the nail may be damaged and a nail health may become worse. And if the auxiliary stuff is used, a commodity value may be degraded because of an unnatural feeling. Korean registration number 10-1697923 (published on Jan. 20, 2017) discloses a flat artificial nail wherein a plurality of grooves in a V shape are formed on a lower surface of the artificial nail along a glowing direction of the nail corresponding to the nail base. The artificial nail disclosed the above invention is suitable to the shape of a curvature according to a width direction, but the artificial nail is unsuitable to a curved shape in a longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the artificial nail can't be applied to a nail with a concave portion or a nail that has an uneven portion along the longitudinal direction (the direction where the nail grows). The artificial nail also has a disadvantage that it is separated easily from the nail base because of the weak adhesive force caused from the adaptive property to the curved shape. And also, the artificial nail has a grooved portion formed in the longitudinal direction over the total surface, therefore a front portion of the artificial nail in the longitudinal direction may be exposed to make a rough surface. Hence, a quality as a design article may be degraded.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION

A purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible artificial nail to improve an adaptive property to a curved shape in a width direction and a longitudinal direction corresponding to an upper portion of a nail of a human for expressing a naturalness similar to a human nail. And also, the other purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible artificial nail to have a stable adhesive property and an enhanced aesthetic by making a front portion smooth, and to avoid an unnatural feeling in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, a flexible artificial nail having a plate shape with an area corresponding to a predetermined upper surface shape of a human natural nail is characterized that a top surface of the plate shape is a designing surface, and a bottom surface of the plate shape is an adhesive surface against the natural nail; an auxiliary designing portion in a smooth shape is formed from a front portion to an end portion of the natural nail along a longitudinal direction of the natural nail among the adhesive surface; an elastic portion is formed in the auxiliary designing portion, wherein the elastic portion has a first grooving portion extending in a direction of a natural nail root to make some length and arranged making an interval between them in a width direction, and a second grooving portion arranged from beyond the natural nail root to the auxiliary designing portion making some length in the width direction; and an adhesive agent is coated on the adhesive surface including an area of the elastic portion, or a double sided adhesive sheet is bonded on the adhesive surface except the auxiliary designing portion, the first and second grooving portion for being adhered to the natural nail.

According to other aspect of the present invention, each longitudinal end portion of the first and second grooving portion is formed such that an adhesive depth is thinner than that of a middle portion in a longitudinal direction.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the artificial nail according to claim, a step is formed between the elastic portion and the auxiliary designing portion, wherein the thickness of the auxiliary designing portion is larger than that of the elastic portion.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, an edge portion corresponding to the root portion of the natural nail among the adhesive surface makes a reinforcing portion having an identical thickness to that of the adhesive surface, and the elastic portion is formed between the auxiliary designing portion and the reinforcing portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1a and 1b shows a designing surface and an adhesive surface of a flexible artificial nail according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2a and 2b shows a cross-section of a constitution of the flexible artificial nail according to the arrow IIa-IIa and IIb-IIb.

FIG. 3 and 4 shows other exemplary flexible artificial nails according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. Also, the terms used herein are defined according to the functions of the present invention. Thus, the terms may vary depending on intention and usage. That is, the terms used herein must be understood based on the descriptions made herein.

In following description, the term ‘upper portion or top portion’ means a portion of a back hand direction or a back hand direction, and ‘lower portion or bottom portion’ means a portion of a palm direction or a palm direction. And also, the term ‘a front (a front end)’ means a direction where a nail grows or a portion existing in the direction, and ‘a rear (a rear end)’ means a direction of a natural nail root. The front or rear direction designates a longitudinal direction, and a direction vertical to the longitudinal direction designates a width direction.

Referring to FIG. 1a to FIG. 2b , a flexible artificial nail may have a plate shape with an area corresponding to a predetermined upper surface shape of a human natural nail N/N, and a top surface of the plate shape is a designing surface 12, and a bottom surface of the plate shape is an adhesive surface 14 against the natural nail. An auxiliary designing portion 16 in a smooth shape is formed from a front portion to an end portion of the natural nail along a longitudinal direction of the natural nail N/N among the adhesive surface 14. An elastic portion 18 is formed in the auxiliary designing portion 16, wherein the elastic portion 18 has a first grooving portion 18 a extending in a direction of a natural nail root to make some length and arranged making an interval between them in a width direction, and a second grooving portion 18 b arranged from beyond the natural nail root to the auxiliary designing portion making some length in the width direction. The elastic portion 18 may be transformed along a curved longitudinal and width direction easily because of each depth of the first and second grooving portion 18 a, 18 b. A surface of the elastic portion 18 may have a check board shape. An adhesive agent may be coated on a protruded portion of the first and second grooving portion 18 a, 18 b on a base of the depth, or a double sided adhesive sheet may be bonded on the adhesive surface except the auxiliary designing portion 14 and the first and second grooving portion 18 a, 18 b for being adhered to the natural nail N/N. Each longitudinal end portion of the first and second grooving portion is formed such that an adhesive depth is thinner than that of a middle portion in a longitudinal direction on a base of the adhesive surface 14. Preferably, a portion viewed between an edge of the natural nail N/N and a skin of a finger contacting the natural nail N/N may have a smooth shape. And a step is formed between the elastic portion 18 and the auxiliary designing portion 16, wherein the thickness of the auxiliary designing portion 16 is larger than that of the elastic portion, even though not shown in FIGS. The step may enable the artificial nail to be caught at a front portion of the natural nail N/N, and the auxiliary designing portion 16 is free to the adhesive agent or the double sided adhesive sheet. The first and second grooving portion 18 a, 18 b can be visible depending on a material of the artificial nail 10 from the designing surface 12. Hence, a user may recognize the first and second grooving portion 18 a, 18 b lightened on the designing surface as one decorating pattern to maximize an aesthetic. And also, the first and second grooving portion 18 a, 18 b may be arranged not as an interval pattern, but a character pattern or a picture pattern. Furthermore, the grooving portion may be decorated with various dyes having different colors for improving a beauty.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an edge portion corresponding to the root portion of the natural nail N/N among the adhesive surface 14 makes a reinforcing portion 20′ having an identical thickness to that of the adhesive surface 14, and the elastic portion 18′ including the first and second grooving portion 18 a′, 18 b′ is formed between the auxiliary designing portion 16′ and the reinforcing portion 18′.

While the present invention has been in particular shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A flexible artificial nail having a plate shape with an area corresponding to a predetermined upper surface shape of a human natural nail is characterized that, a top surface of the plate shape is a designing surface, and a bottom surface of the plate shape is an adhesive surface against the natural nail; an auxiliary designing portion in a smooth shape is formed from a front portion to an end portion of the natural nail along a longitudinal direction of the natural nail among the adhesive surface; an elastic portion is formed in the auxiliary designing portion, wherein the elastic portion has a first grooving portion extending in a direction of a natural nail root to make some length and arranged making an interval between them in a width direction, and a second grooving portion arranged from beyond the natural nail root to the auxiliary designing portion making some length in the width direction; and an adhesive agent is coated on the adhesive surface including an area of the elastic portion, or a double sided adhesive sheet is bonded on the adhesive surface except the auxiliary designing portion, the first and second grooving portion for being adhered to the natural nail.
 2. The artificial nail according to claim 1, wherein each longitudinal end portion of the first and second grooving portion is formed such that an adhesive depth is thinner than that of a middle portion in a longitudinal direction.
 3. The artificial nail according to claim 1, a step is formed between the elastic portion and the auxiliary designing portion, wherein the thickness of the auxiliary designing portion is larger than that of the elastic portion.
 4. The artificial nail according to claim 1, an edge portion corresponding to the root portion of the natural nail among the adhesive surface makes a reinforcing portion having an identical thickness to that of the adhesive surface, and the elastic portion is formed between the auxiliary designing portion and the reinforcing portion. 